The amygdala and decision making Rupa Gupta 1 , Timothy R. Koscik 1 , Antoine Bechara 2,3 , and Daniel Tranel 1 1 Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa 2 Department of Psychology, University of Southern California 3 Department of Psychiatry and Faculty of Management, McGill University Abstract Decision-making is a complex process that requires the orchestration of multiple neural systems. For example, decision-making is believed to involve areas of the brain involved in emotion (e.g., amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and memory (e.g., hippocampus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). In this article, we will present findings related to the amygdala’s role in decision-making, and differentiate the contributions of the amygdala from those of other structurally and functionally connected neural regions. Decades of research have shown that the amygdala is involved in associating a stimulus with its emotional value. This tradition has been extended in newer work, which has shown that the amygdala is especially important for decision-making, by triggering autonomic responses to emotional stimuli, including monetary reward and punishment. Patients with amygdala damage lack these autonomic responses to reward and punishment, and consequently, cannot utilize “somatic marker” type cues to guide future decision-making. Studies using laboratory decision-making tests have found deficient decision-making in patients with bilateral amygdala damage, which resembles their real-world difficulties with decision-making. Additionally, we have found evidence for an interaction between sex and laterality of amygdala functioning, such that unilateral damage to the right amygdala results in greater deficits in decision-making and social behavior in men, while left amygdala damage seems to be more detrimental for women. We have posited that the amygdala is part of an “impulsive,” habit type system that triggers emotional responses to immediate outcomes. Keywords amygdala; decision-making; emotion; ventromedial prefrontal cortex; hippocampus Introduction Traditionally, the function of the amygdala has long been described as involving emotion and especially fear-related processes. Classic studies from animal and human lesion research have identified the amygdala as a critical structure for the expression and perception of fear and the development of fear conditioning (e.g., Adolphs, Tranel, Damasio, & Damasio, 1994; Bechara et al., 1995; Kluver & Bucy, 1939; LeDoux, 1993a, 1993b). However, much © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Corresponding Author: Rupa Gupta, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, Phone: 319-384-5201, rupa-gupta@uiowa.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author Manuscript Neuropsychologia. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2012 March 1. Published in final edited form as: Neuropsychologia. 2011 March ; 49(4): 760–766. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.09.029. NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript